Haircuts and Head Massages
by marvelchick1992
Summary: Bucky and Tara meet when Steve and Sam bring him back to the compound. Tara gives everyone regular head massages until it becomes a thing for Bucky only. Feelings are brought during a movie night and seven months later, Bucky decides it's time for a change and gets a haircut and shaves. Inspired by the new look for Falcon and Winter Soldier


Buried under three fluffy blankets in the lounge, I sat alone reading a book, music playing in my earphones. The compound wasn't empty; most people stayed in their room not bothering anyone. A routine we were accustomed to. I knew Steve and Sam had gone out to take care of some private business; whatever it was, they chose not to disclose it to me even though I tried to pry it out of them.

Engrossed in my novel – a fantasy with magic, wizards and all sorts of different creatures – the music blaring in my ears, I failed to hear their return, failed to see them approach me, a new recruit in tow, until someone tapped me on the shoulder. On instinct, I sent them sprawling to the floor with a kick to the chest and using my weight to pin them down; one earbud fell out of my ear, letting me hear their struggle.

"Tara! It's me, Sam. I'm sorry I scared you. Get off me please," the "intruder" shouted. Realizing my mistake, I got off him, helping him to his feet.

"Sorry. I had my music blasting. You're back. Where's Steve? Where did y'all go?" I stated.

"We picked up a new friend. A new recruit as well," Steve's voice answered, causing me to turn around to face him; Another guy stood beside him, quiet and reserved. He had dark brown hair, which fell to his shoulders, light blue eyes and a beard my fingers itched to run along. He had on a brown jacket, a black Henley, and blue jeans and black boots; a hat on to disguise himself. He wore black gloves, hiding his metal hand away.

_Exactly like Steve does. I'm not really sure it qualifies as a disguise but whatever works, I guess, _I thought.

"Tara, this is Bucky Barnes, my oldest friend. Bucky, this is Tara Thomas," Steve introduced us. Bucky remained quiet, giving me a wave, barely meeting my eyes. His name sounded familiar and I thought about where I heard it before, realization clouding over my mind as I remembered who he…was.

"You brought the Winter Soldier here? Have you discussed this with Stark?" I questioned. I noticed Bucky flinched at the name; perhaps a painful memory coming out to play, which he didn't ask for.

"I planned to discuss it with tonight. Tara, he's not…he won't-,"

"I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply anything terrible. If you trust him, I trust him,"

"Thank you. That means a lot. I'll go talk to Tony. Would you mind if he stays in here with you? I'll need to borrow Sam while the discussion takes place…just in case some things are…thrown," Steve said.

"Hold on mister. It's your turn. If you think I'm going to let you skip out on this one, you're sorely mistaken. The discussion-,"

"We're talking to Tony. I've got to get it over with. Sam, come with me. Buck, stay with her. She can keep you company," Steve stated, tugging Sam out of the room; Sam shot me an apologetic look and shrug before disappearing with Steve down the hall.

"Steve! Get back here! Steve!" I yelled to no avail. Sighing with frustration, I ran a hand through my chestnut brown hair, which came to rest on my collarbone. Turning around, I spotted Bucky still standing, hands in his pockets.

"You're welcome to sit down. They might be a while. Don't worry, I don't bite," I told him, climbing back under my blankets, resuming my book. Noticing movement, I glanced up to see him sitting on the end of the couch, twiddling his thumbs, still silent; I peered back down at my book, the story distracting my attention from him. Did I think him attractive? Yeah, sure in a I'd-love-to-feel-his-lips-on-mine kind of way. Silence ensued until he cleared his throat as if he meant to say something.

"Steve's turn for what?" he asked, capturing my attention. _So much for the distraction,_ I thought as a smile tugged at my lips.

"Beg pardon?"

"You told Steve that it was his turn. What did you mean by it if you don't mind me asking?" he replied. His voice was a bit raspy, husky even, and it pulled me even more to him.

"Oh, that. Uh, it's his turn to get a head massage. Everyone gets one here. It's sort of a comfort thing and apparently, I give really good ones. At least that's what everyone tells me. The trouble is Steve keeps avoiding his for the month," I explained, putting down the book. I was done reading for the night, especially since I knew where this conversation was heading.

"Everyone? Including the women?"

"Yeah. I'm efficient that way. Even Stephen Strange receives one every once in a while, and he's not even that close to us,"

"What does it feel like? How deep do you massage people?"

"Ah, so the curiosity bug has bitten you. Would you like a demonstration? It doesn't hurt, I promise. It's quite relaxing. I do them on myself sometimes. It gets the blood flowing and they say it's very stimulating for your scalp," I replied. I removed the blankets from my lap, draping them across the back of the couch so they'd be out of the way.

"I thought it was Steve's turn. You don't know me. I don't know you. I only asked because it confused me. I…"

"Bucky, it'll be all right. Steve can wait. If it's too much, tell me and I'll stop. Or if you don't want to do this, that's fine too. I don't mind," I told him. He sighed and shrugged off his jacket, bending down to unlace his boots and pulling them off his feet.

"Where do I sit?" he asked.

"You don't sit. You lay in my lap. Stretch out, grab a blanket if you want. Take off those gloves. You could get overheated," I replied, flexing my hands to prepare for the massage. He hesitated with the gloves but removed them, the metal from his hand glinting in the dim lighting. He grabbed one blanket – the fluffy black one – draping it over his legs and laid back, his head placed in my lap, his blue eyes gazing up at my blue-green ones.

"Ready? If it'll make you feel better, you can close your eyes," I stated. He nodded and shut them; his breathing shaky, full of nerves. I began, splaying my fingers as I pulled them through his hair, fingertips on his scalp. I applied some pressure, moving them around, giving him the full effect. I occasionally stroked his hair, the same comforting gesture I gave to Loki, Wanda and Natasha. Wanda and Nat liked their hair to be played with, but for Loki it relaxed him to have fingers running through his hair, comforting him.

For Bucky, it appeared to be putting him at ease. I could see the tension releasing, his limbs going limp. His lips parted open; his breathing steady. I kept going, working his scalp, still stroking his hair in the hopes of bringing him the most comfort I could. I even applied some pressure to his temples, relieving tension there as if he had a headache. Wanting to give him more tingles, I scratched his beard, the roughness of it contrasting with his soft locks.

I switched between this and his head until his breathing evened out. I continued even as he drifted off to sleep, Bucky turning on his side, his hair tumbling on his shoulders. I checked the time to see how long I had been at it with him. 11 p.m. An hour had passed while I had been giving him the same treatment, I gave everyone else. I heard footsteps approaching, peeked up as I saw Steve and Sam re-enter the lounge. Holding a finger to my lips, I gestured to the sleeping man in my lap. Steve smiled; it was small, glad to see his friend relaxed. He walked around to the back of the couch to whisper in my ear.

"Thank you, Tara. Tony said he could stay here. If it's no trouble, could he stay with you until we get his room set up. It'll be tonight and tomorrow night if that's okay. It might do him some good to be around you,"

"It's no trouble at all. Let him sleep for another hour before we wake him," I whispered back.

"You and your head massages. They're like magic. You put to sleep in five minutes. Not to mention relaxing everyone. I get all tingly when you do mine," Sam said in a low vice, sitting in one of the armchairs, exhaustion setting in.

"I'll give you one tomorrow. And Steve, you're also getting one tomorrow. No exceptions," I told them.

"But-,"

"No arguments," I snapped. What began as a demonstration became a regular occurrence for Bucky and me, sparking an unforeseen romance, which would lead to a change Bucky decided to get; a step to a new beginning.

Three Months Later

As time went on, Bucky and I became closer, growing to be best friends. We were often paired together on missions, undercover or not; he discovered my true ability – light absorption, which meant I could block out light in specific places when needed.

It came in handy when we needed to sneak upon enemies, for them to be unable to see us coming. We'd even use it when we were feeling quite mischievous and decided to scare Sam, Steve, or Thor; a trait we picked up from Loki the more we were around him.

Head massages became a regular thing; he'd come to me when he needed to wind down from particularly stressful missions or when he needed one because he simply enjoyed it. Bucky would even lay in my lap during move nights, our friends giving us strange looks at first, but soon they were so used to it, they didn't notice, paying attention to the movie. Tonight, someone would say something, bringing out odd relationship to light.

Movie nights occurred on Mondays; a day when battles appeared to be slower, meetings were dull, or the stress got to be overwhelming. They gave us time to hang out, eating popcorn and indulging in a comedy or a horror movie. Yes, I said horror; not the gory, slasher ones but the psychological thriller ones which would blow your mind with the endings. The genre tonight, more comedy, kind of slasher like. The movie – Zombieland.

"What I don't understand is why you two aren't dating," Sam stated during one part of the movie.

"Which two are you referring to?" I asked. I had Bucky's head cradled in my lap, running my fingers through his silky locks. I paused, getting a pat from his hand to keep going.

"I'm referring to you and the man you've got lying in your lap. I mean, what is going on between you two? You're constantly giving him head massages and I can't tell if you're dating or not," Sam answered. I frowned, continuing my movements.

"I give everyone massages. This isn't an uncommon thing," I noted.

"No, you give everyone head massages every once in a while. With Bucky, you're always found somewhere in the compound, lying on a couch or sitting in an armchair, with him. In your lap. Massaging his head and scratching his beard," Same argued.

"Your point is? It's our thing. There's nothing wrong with it," Bucky commented.

"My point is that you two do it so often it's hard to tell if you're dating or only friends. No one's seen you kissing, which sort of leads me to believe that you're not but you could be having a secret relationship behind everyone's back. If you're not, then the question is why not," Sam stated.

"Leave them alone," Steve said. Sam reached over and shut off the movie.

"I know everyone's curious about it. They should answer the question," he stated.

"We shouldn't be under any obligation-,"

"Okay. Yeah, I'm curious. Why aren't you two together?" Steve said. When we didn't answer, Sam asked a different question.

"Do you like each other?"

"Yeah. We're best friends," Bucky replied.

"No, no. I mean, do either of you have feelings for each other?" Sam asked. More silence followed; my face grew hot, my fingers stopped moving, the massage over.

"Are you going to answer the question?" Same pressed.

"Come on, Sam, Steve. Leave them alone. So, what if they're not dating? What business is it of yours to know their feelings? If they're friends, then that's the end of it. I'd like to get back to the movie, please," Natasha stated.

"Don't you want to know? Friends don't-,"

"Drop it bird man. Let them figure it out on their own," Nat interrupted.

"Fine. I'm just saying maybe they should date. They'd be a cute couple. You can see the chemistry a mile away," Sam caved and turned on the movie. I resumed my movements, trying my best to pay attention. Truth is, I did have a crush on Bucky.

He's super sweet and funny. Plus, he's got the looks to match. I'd always hoped he'd feel the same way, but I wouldn't mind if we were only friends. I wanted him to be happy with whoever he chose. As the movie played on, the more I got to wondering what it would be like to date him. I imagined how his lips would feel against mine; would he kiss me rough, his beard scratching my skin? What about his hands? How would it be to have his metal hand touch me? Anywhere? Everywhere?

By the time the movie ended, I was aware of my thoughts floating around in my head and all the dates I envisioned would happen if we ever got together.

"Tara? Can we talk in your room?" Bucky whispered, interrupting the thoughts replaying in my head. I nodded and spotting an opportunity to disappear unnoticed, we headed upstairs to my room to chat. Bucky closed and locked the door behind us, and we sat down on the bed.

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked, already nervous; my heart beat hard in my chest, hammering away at the thought of his words.

"I…um…wow. I didn't realize how hard this would be. Tara, I like you. A lot. I have for a while, but I didn't know how to tell you. Sam grilling us tonight really put things into perspective. Would you maybe want to go out with me? Tomorrow night?" Bucky confessed, dragging a hand through his hair, making it a tousled mess.

"You…l-like me? Is that why you always came to me for head massages?" I asked, stunned. Here he sat confessing his crush on me and I was stunned. I literally thought I was in a dream._ Someone pinch me,_ I thought.

"Partly. You do give really good massages. They're the best part of my day. I do like you. One could say I might be falling in love with you,"

"Yes. My answer is yes. I'd love to go out with you," I stated.

"Really?" I nodded and he pulled me off the bed into his arms. "Great. I'll stop by at 6. We can go to dinner and then I'll take you somewhere for a surprise," he said, putting me down on the floor. Bucky kissed my cheek and left to go to his room, turning in for the night.

First Date

The night of our first date came fast. I dressed casually, not knowing what the second activity was. He stopped by my room at precisely 6 and we left the compound to go to dinner; a burger restaurant we both favored, talking and laughing how we normally did, having a good time. I think we were comfortable enough around each other that we didn't realize feelings had been brewing until the questions from movie night brought them to light.

"So, where are we going?" I asked, when we finished up and got on his motorcycle for our second activity of the night.

"You'll see. I think you're going to love it," he told me, taking off into the night. We rode for 15 minutes, pulling into a parking lot. I got off and lit up at the giant sign in front of me.

"Roller skating? I haven't been roller skating since I was a teenager," I commented.

"This should be fun then. Come on, let's go inside," he stated, taking my hand and pulling me towards the building. He paid the admission and got the tickets for the skates before we entered the rink. We went to the booth for the skates and told them our sizes. Once handed the skates, we sat down on the benches to change our shoes and rolled onto the floor, holding hands. We went fast until they cleared off the floor for couples only.

We went slow as the music playing, coming to a complete stop at a wall, lost in each other's eyes. Bucky leaned in for a kiss, pressing his lips against mine; They were warm and soft filled with a passion I hadn't experienced with anyone before. A fire, hot and burning but simmered as we held the kiss. My hands drifted into his hair, his gripped my waist. After a few moments, we pulled back, unable to open our eyes for a few seconds.

"That was…" he stated.

"Hot, very hot, but long desired," I finished.

"Want to do it again?" he asked.

"Oh, yes. Please, yes. Kiss me forever. Drown me in them," I answered, pulling him to me. Our lips connected, burning hot once more. At this instant, I knew I wouldn't let him go. Bucky was mine and no one else could come close to the love he gave me or the love I gave to him in return.

Seven Months Later

The relationship with Bucky shot off quick. We said the three infamous words 'I love you' four months into dating. No one was surprised based on how they reacted when we got back from our first date.

"I told you they'd be a cute couple," Sam had said that night. The sex with Bucky was incredible, even after a month of waiting. We made love slow; he preferred me to be on top, riding him until the morning light. Sometimes, we'd only make out, ending up in each other's arms, snuggled close. Waking up and seeing him beside me managed to bring a smile to my lips each time.

The head massages are still a regular thing, but they've become only _our _thing; Everyone stopped coming to me for them, finding their own source of stress relief. Today marked seven months of being together and I decided to throw a party, a barbecue if you wish, with my friends and have a good time playing corn hole or darts, or simply ranging out with everyone.

I employed Tony, Steve, Strange, and Sam in setting up everything, planning on going out to the store to grab the supplies for food and drinks. Thinking about getting Bucky to tag along, I went to find him. He was in our bathroom; his long hair ties up in a half ponytail to keep it out of his face.

"Hey, sweetheart. I'm going out to pick up supplies if you want to come with me," I greeted him, hugging him from the side. He kissed me, releasing a sigh.

"Do you mind if I don't? I've got some errands of my own to before the barbecue," he replied.

"I don't mind at all. I'll get Wanda and Nat to come with me. Go do what you've got to do. I'll see you later. I love you," I told him.

"Thanks, Tara. I love you too," We shared a kiss and I took off to find the girls. The next time I'd see him, he would have a new look to him I'd love.

Bucky's POV

I left the compound on my motorcycle, nervous of what I was about to do. I pulled up to a barber shop and took a deep breath before entering. I planned on chopping off my hair and shaving, deciding it was time for a change; a new me. I chose not to tell Tara because I didn't know how she'd feel, and I also wanted it to be a surprise. I loved her and she had been a big help to finding myself again.

I approached the front desk and told one of the guys working my name and what I needed. I had to wait ten minutes before one called me back. I described what I wanted and sat patiently as he worked on my hair and shaved off the beard. After maybe 40 minutes, he finished, the results exactly what I had in mind. He styled it a little and released me from the chair so I could pay. Leaving the shop, I head back to the compound and walked out back, catching the looks of my friends. Steve was the first to approach me.

"You cut your hair and shaved? It looks good Buck," he greeted me.

"Thanks. I figured it was time for a change. I hope Tara likes it. I'm worried because she's only seen me with long hair and a beard. What if she doesn't give me anymore head massages?" I told him.

"I wouldn't worry. She's going to love it. She loves you no matter how you look," he told me.

"Speaking of, where is my lovely girlfriend? I didn't see her when I arrived," I asked.

"She went inside to get more drinks," he replied. I nodded and made my way inside, more compliments thrown my way as I passed. I took another deep breath as I entered the kitchen and placed my hands over Tara's eyes.

Tara's POV

"Hey, Tara. Don't turn around yet," a voice – Bucky's voice – told me. Hands covered my eyes and I wasn't sure why.

"Bucky, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing. I just…I did something and I'm not sure how you'll like it," he answered.

"All right. Whenever you're ready for me to see, tell me," I commented. He released his hands after a minute, but I closed my eyes, waiting for the words.

"Okay, turn around. If you have your eyes closed, open them," he told me. I turned and mouth parted open at him.

"You cut your hair? And shaved?" I asked.

"Yeah. What do you think? I thought it was time for a change. Something different,"

"I love it. You look hot. Not that you didn't before, but now you're extra hot," I replied. A blush formed over his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck. The haircut he got was longer on top, styled for a professional look. I had him turn around to see the back, the hair shorter there.

"I was worried you might not like it. That you couldn't give me anymore head massages. That you might not love me anymore," he told me.

"Bucky, I'll always love you. Even you get haircuts or have a beard. I want you just as you are. Hang on, let me get these drinks outside. Meet me upstairs in our room. I'll be right up," I stated. He nodded and I took out two more liters of soda for the party while he headed up to the room. I told everyone Bucky and I would be down in a half hour, going back inside to go to him.

I entered our room, closing and locking the door behind me.

"Take off your shoes," I told him. I got on the bed, propping up pillows to lay against, while he did as I asked.

"Come lay in my lap," he leaned back, his head in my lap, similar to the first time we met, different in the way he was positioned. I threaded my fingers through his hair, still plenty to play with and started to massage his head, applying the same pressure I usually did. Though he had shaved, I still massaged his jaw, letting my fingers brush his cheeks, his lips.

"See, I can still massage you. It's our thing remember. I love you, Bucky," I whispered. He opened his eyes and sat up. He kissed me, the same desire I had for him flowing through me. The same heat was there in his kiss, only intensified. He pulled back, placing a kiss on my cheek.

"I love you too. We should go down to the barbecue before everyone get suspicious," he told me. I nodded and we rejoined our friends outside. Haircuts and head massages. A special love had bloomed for Bucky and me with both.


End file.
